A magistrate was hailed yesterday for 'raising the social status of animals' after he allowed a woman to keep custody of about 50 pets she had been convicted of abusing, over the objections of the Agriculture, Fisheries and Conservation Department.

More than 30 dogs a day are receiving lethal injections in government kennels as a craze for expensive pedigree pets - which end up abandoned - exacerbates a rise in the number of animals put to death in Hong Kong.

Next to a vet, being a curator at a zoological facility or animal-based theme park is probably the profession that suits people who love spending long hours with animals and have a desire to connect with wildlife.

An animal concern group accused police last night of being totally uninterested in acting against animal abuse after a one-month-old kitten was found outside a supermarket on Choi Yuen Estate, Sheung Shui, on Tuesday night with its hind legs chopped off.

Elaine Chan Ling-yi, founder of the Cat Society, said she reported the case to police but they only put it on file.

Animal activists in Zhengzhou, Henan province, are racing against time to rescue pet dogs awaiting slaughter in wet market butcheries after their owners abandoned them because of new pet ownership regulations.